A Data-Driven Model-Based Examination of Mid-Size Lunar Cargo Lander Designs

Mission, design, and cost considerations associated with lunar-accessible high-ΔV cargo delivery space vehicles must be explored and documented as the cadence of missions to the surface of the Moon increases, due in part to the Artemis program. Both design feasibility and capability of such delivery vehicles are driven by a multitude of parameters like propellant design, structures design approach, and mission scope. The aim of this work is to provide insight that can assist in the design and investment decisions of mid-size lunar cargo delivery vehicles to engineers and stakeholders alike. This paper examines some of the critical design drivers for high-ΔV vehicles generically and informs the context within which each design approach may be favored over another. Thousands of modeled high-ΔV space vehicle concepts are developed through an integrated, multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization (MDAO) space vehicle design framework animated by a strategically crafted design of experiments (DOE). An ensemble of surrogate models is then built to provide predictive capabilities which allow for the competing considerations of capability, cost, and feasibility to be holistically understood. The results of this investigation are a landscape of realistically feasible high-level space vehicle expectations that directly address NASA’s desire for a range of cargo delivery capabilities and mid-size cargo demands.